Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, Ramsey Co., Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1905, 1887-08-27

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Rousdon Bay.
Now, the most remarkable thing con-
corning Dan, his two sons and Joshua
Mech, his nephew, was that their hands
were always brown with tar. There was,
besides, a smell of things connected with
boats always lingering. about his house;
and though fishing nets were constantly
spread over the garden or ON the beach,
there was very little fishing done.
Dan, farmer though he was, dressed
habitually a a boatnlan. On Sundays
in the umlne he wore white ducks, a
blue jacket with brass buttons and q straw
hat, just us if he was a navy man. On
other days he wore great boats, a simple
blue shirt and a t%arpaulin. Down in the
buy there were three boats. One Of these
was q safe, heavy built fishing smack.
Dan called her the "Chace Mary" 1t
was q good many years before I learned
to recognize in this name the French
chase maree. Dan picked her up one
night abandoned in the channel. His cx-
perience decided her origin and her name.
The boys and Joshua used now and then
to go out fishing in her, bringing home in
the morning a rich. cargo of bright and
beautiful fish. We kept the best for our
selves, and the rector never failed to come
for his 1.-THE of John Dory, bass. hake,
pilchards or mackerel. The rest went to
Lyme to be sold.
The boat which lay beside the Chacc
Mary was of a very different build. She
would be called now-though her lines
would no longer find favor-a fifteen ton
yacht, sloop rugged. 1 do not know where
Dan bought her; she was long and mar
row; she was decked; she carried any
amount of canvas, and she was, as Dan
often boosted, the very fastest boat in the
channel. She was called the Dancing
Polly.
Hauled up on the beach was a little
dingy, gay with bright paint, and pro-
vided with a neat lug sail and a spirit sail
and a pair Of scuils. She belonged to me,
but was, of course, always ut the service
of the firm.
For, not to delay any longer a confess
sion which must sooner or later be made,
we were all of us smugglers by trade, and
farmers by pretense. The ten acres of
barren cliff land could never have kept us
oil during those hard times, even in a
poor way. We We're a gang of smugglers.
Dan was the head of the firm, by heredi-
tary succession. His two boys We're part
ners by the same right. Joshua Mech
was a partner by grace and free gift Of
Dan. 1, Pleasance Noel, was an accom-
plice, alder, and abettor.
In the reign of great George the Third
~ Hvyno n a s,pnNccsIIn To v,nlyn rnovln T.,
lieve that smuggling was wrong as to
knocking over u hare in the field. To
evade the duty was meritorious. Then
there was the romance about the trade;
perils surrounded it on every side; across
the water you might be caught by the
French authorities, and kept in prison, or
even shot as q spy; or you might be picked
up by a French privateer; or you might
be cut out by q revenue cutter; or you
might be arrested while landing your
cargo. These things were considered, and
went to make q daring smugglcr q sort of
hero. Lastly, all the country side stood
in with him. 1t was he who brought
over the bee French brandy, packages of
lace, boxes Of gloves, or of perfumes; he
was the prOvider Of otherwise unattain-
able luxuries; he was n public benefactor.
In no country inn could you get such
spirits as came out Of the illicit kegs;
when a landlord had any, he would wills
per it's recommendation to II guest; the
squires bought it, the magistrates bought
it, the revenue officers bought it, the
clergy bought it: no one too good. too
highly placed. too s%crupulous, to buy it. A
fine and tlattcring perfume Of universal
gratitude perpctuully sootl!cd the soul Of
Dan Gulliver; the sense Of = heroic rcpu-
tation added dignity to q life which, if
\ spent only on the farm, would have been
/ certainly m%onotonous, and probably igno-
BILE.
Gratitude among the people naturally
took the shape Of completely. 1t some
times happened that Dams carts-,hosc
innocent carts laden with poultry, vcgcta-
bles or fish, which Job or Jcphthah drove
into Lyme-werc stopped and searched.
/ One would think that Dan was regularly
warned, because nothing was ever found
in them. If the revenue cutter CHANGED
to look in at Rousdon bay, the Dancing
| Polly was lying at anchor without the
would be calking the Chacc Mary or
mending fishing nets or painting the
| dingy, with grave face and Il twinkle in
his eye.
With q fast boat like the Dancing
Polly, with four such handy boatmen as
the crew who manned her, the chief dan
ger was that of landing the cargo. It
was desirable 70 know before the run
where the revenue cutter was, this infor-
nation was got by myself, or by n Of
the boys, from the boatmen Of the cove
at Lyme OF from the fishermen of Beer.
| She might have been heard of at Wey.
mouth or she might be lying in Bridport.
Once when we thought she was away up
the Solent, she came out of Lulworth
cove and chased Dan for three long days,
70 that he only got away without throw
ing his cargo overheard by the swiftness
of his heels and the providential interpo-
sition of a fog. We had to get news from
Weymouth, from Swanage, Poole, Lynn
ington and Yarmouth in the west, as
from Beer, Sidmouth, Ladram bay and
Dartmouth. The revenue cutter once
ascertained to be out Of the way, there
was little or NJ danger Of interference
from any Of the shore going folk.
When all seemed safe as regards the
excise and q run was resolved on, it was
brave to see the little craft, with Dan at
the tshellum," Job and Jephthah in the
bows and Joshua 'midships, beating her
way out OF the little narrow bay straight
out into the blackness beyond-for Dan
never started except at night and when
there was q moonless sky. Iwould stand
on the beach, the wind blowing my hair
about and the spray flying into my face,
to get the last sight of the gallant boat.
Then I would go home and stay there